


Even the Gods Have Secrets (Hiatus)

by thatonepersoneveryonehates



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, My First Fanfic, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Slow To Update, Some death, Sorry Not Sorry, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-05-13 21:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14756237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatonepersoneveryonehates/pseuds/thatonepersoneveryonehates
Summary: Percy just wanted to rest after everything that had happened to him and his family, but when the gods require one more heroic act from him, will he be able to pull through? Harry finally won against Voldemort. The only downside, he has to retake his last year at Hogwarts. Now Hogwarts has always had peculiar D.A.D.A teachers, but something seems more off about this new one.





	1. Train Ride

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally the first fanfic I had ever written. I wanted to re-write it, so here we are. Its also posted on Fanfic.net.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny get on the train to go to Hogwarts to repeat their last year at school.

The war against the Dark Lord was over. I was finally free of the curse that was put on me. I could finally spend a summer like an average person.

Of course, because of the events that transpired during the war, I was prevented from completing my last year at Hogwarts, though I wasn't sure that I wanted to anymore. I mean, all that homework and classes!

But Professor McGonagall had insisted that the students repeat the year that they had missed. After all, it was not only us that suffered lack of education. It had been halfway through the year that the war had started; therefore, most of the students lost valuable learning time. They had not finished their years. There would be eight years of students at Hogwarts this year, and we had been forced to attend.

The new Headmistress had insisted that the students do double the work to get the lost knowledge, which meant more extended classes, and longer nights full of homework. I just knew that it would be absolute torture.

A few days after we got the letter, Hermione, the Weasley's and I set out to Platform nine and three quarters. All around us, people were bustling, trying to get to their train on time. We made your way through the growing crowds.

"All rights all right, please stop harassing me, dear." Mr Weasly whispered to his wife as she shoved him away from some muggle invention.

The red-headed woman rolled her eyes. Then went back to usher us to the platform.

Finally, we reached our destination. Platform nine, and three quarters. Wizards and witches moved about, all hurrying to say goodbye to loved ones for the year.

We bid farewell to Mr and Mrs Weasly and dragged our luggage onto the train. Ginny went off to find her friends, and that left Hermione and Ron to accompany me.

We walked down the train, trying to find an empty compartment. Almost all of the crates were full, the extra year of students overcrowding the vehicle.

We settled into the warm leather seats and sat in silence. We could hear shouting from outside. The train began to chug along. We all turned to stare out the window.

There was a patterning on the roof from the rain that had begun to fall.

The time passed, no one dared to break into silence. The trolley lady stopped by, offering sweets. I bought a few boxes of Bertie Botts every flavour beans, but I wasn't hungry, so I shoved them into the already overflowing trunk.

There was a knocking on the compartment door. A red-headed girl entered the compartment. Ginny sat next to Hermione and clapped her hands.

"Hey," she said," What have you guys been up to?"

None of us answered her.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

Ron turned looked at his sister, "We haven't done anything. There's nothing to do."

His voice was snapping.

"Okay okay. No need to yell at me. Please, I am your sister. Show me more respect." She snapped back, "What are you guys going to do this year?"

I didn't really want to talk to anyone at the moment, but I saw no point in staying in my silence.

My voice was quiet as I spoke, "Probably sneak around and go see Hagrid in the early hours. Maybe almost get expelled. You know the usual."

Ginny nodded, "What about you Ronald?"

"Don't call me Ronald," he whined, "And the same as usual. I see no sense in changing it."

Ginny made a sour face at her older brother, an annoyed look creeping into her eyes. Then she turned to Hermione.

"Let me think Hermione, you are going to tell these to off but go with them. And then go to the library a few hundred time a day? That's what you usually do."

Hermione gave Ginny a dirty look, "I don't know. I think we are all tired of sneaking around at night and avoiding trouble. I'm going to pay attention to all of my classes because I want to graduate Hogwarts with good grades."

Ginny sighed, and shook her head, "Whatever."

Ginny stood up and marched to the door, "It's about time we got our robes on." And with that she disappeared from our compartment, leaving an old feeling.


	2. Of Witches and Wizards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy is given a quest to help protect the Wizarding world. Hecate blesses him and revealed something no one ever thought possible.

(Percy's POV)

The sun shone brightly on the camp around me. Campers were having fun, doing their activities and generally messing around.

The camp had returned to normal, or so to say. Of course, we had come together and created a treaty. The two fields, Roman and Greek, would work together from the end of the second giant war on.

Quite honestly, I couldn't care less. I just wanted a year to rest, and gain my humanity back.

Though, I doubted that I would be able to get the chance. It was just a feeling in my gut.

My theory was proven correct when I was called to the big house by Chiron a few days after I had returned from school.

Of course, I wasn't alone. Annabeth and the rest of the seven were accompanying me. As were the cabin counsellors. The group of us sat around the ping pong table with snacks and drinks.

Chiron was there before us, sitting in his wheelchair, staring at the table. His eyes were lost in great sorrow and worry.

Next to him was a woman that I faintly recognized. She was dressed in a white chiton, and her black hair was braided back. Her eyes were glowing green. They flowed with power. She was exuding energy known only to gods.

I knew immediately that she was a goddess. I sighed in defeat. I had been avoiding the gods for months, hoping that they would get the message that I wanted to be left alone.

Looks like it wasn't working.

Chiron gave me a strained smile. His eyes were sad, and I knew that I was going to be the main topic for whatever she needed.

"Welcome heroes. This is the goddess Hecate." He said, gesturing to the woman.

Hecate nodded to him, and then spoke, "I know that you are all tired. But as you know, heroes cannot rest. I am sorry to say this, but a new war is coming. Night wished to avenge her anger, and she is not alone. She is siding with a man of great magical power. Together, these two will be almost unstoppable." She paused and hesitated, then fixed her gaze on me.

"I have chosen a hero of great strength and power for this quest. He will go alone." She paused again, and sighed, "Perseus Jackson, you are a hero of great feats. You have claimed quite the reputation among the gods. We commend you for your power. I must ask this of you, and I ask not lightly.

"There is a race of mortals that I blessed. They are called the Witched and Wizards. Recently, they were under attack by one of their own. This man held great power over these people. They barely managed to survive him. The man that Night is rising with was an accomplice to the man. The Wizards will not survive another battle. They need your help. Will you accept my quest?"

Her voice was pleading, worried, and hopeful.

I tilted my head as I thought, 'she could easily smite me if I refused. And these people were in need of help. Bah. Curse this stupid flaw. It really will be the death of me.'

I sighed, "I accept your plea Lady Hecate. I will serve you in this war."

The goddess turned her gaze from the floor to me, then did something I think was entirely out of character for her to do. She rushed forward and hugged me. I could feel wet drops falling onto my shoulder.

"Thank you, young hero. You have no clue what it means to find out you will help them."

I awkwardly patted her back and tried to free myself from her grip. I could see Annabeth out of the corner of my eyes, working hard not to laugh.

Sometimes I hate being a demigod.

After Hecate managed to compose herself, the councillors talked about the camps, and what supplies we would need to stalk up on to survive this war.

I rose with the rest of my friends and started to make my way to the door. Hecate stopped me in my tracks.

"Hero, may I speak with you for a second?"

I slowed down and turned to the goddess.

"There are more details that I wish to tell you."

I nodded for her to continue.

She sighed. Her sigh was filled with sorrow and guilt. Her posture suggested that the weight of the world could be on her shoulders. I flashed back to an incident in Tarturas. Kelli screaming as her sister empusa(sp?), then clawing at her.

I found it hard to believe that those crazy monsters were created by this woman.

"I must tell you that it will not be easy. This quest will ask a lot of you. And you must bear the burden alone. None of your friends will be able to help you. At least not until the first battle. And the Wizards will be wary of you. You are different. They don't like different."

We fell into a short silence.

"My Lady, I have faced worse than discrimination. This will be considered easy compared to what I have done."

Hecate smiled softly, "I know that you will triumph that. But what I also want to say is that the man they just defeated, he was close to discovering the truth about his heritage. He thought that he was the son of a mortal man and a witch, and that is true, but I was the witch. I had to watch my son fight against everything that I had created. All of his anger at his father and me. I knew that I should have stayed away from that man, but I could not resist. My world was almost ripped to shreds because of itself. I could not stand to watch that again."

"Your mother was a squib. Her family did not die in an aeroplane crash, but in my son's torment of the wizards. They were one of his first victims. I erased her mind, and all of the wizards minds of that and sent her to live with a man in America. He was a relative of Tom Riddle, the man that I fell for. After I found out that she gave birth to you, I visited to see you. As soon as I looked into your eyes, I knew you were a son of a god. You held power and spirit of a Demigod. I managed to lock away and hide your wizard powers, which were given to you by your mother. Percy, you are more than just a great hero, you are a wizard too.

"Your mother was not known for her heritage, but she was a decedent of two of the great houses. Salazar Slytherin's great, great, great, great granddaughter fall in love with the nephew of Godric Gryffindor. That also means that you are related to my son, Tom Marvalo Riddle. I considered your mother family, and I still do. So, please, be careful."

I nodded in response, "I will, My lady."

I turned to leave again, but Hecate stopped me.

"Perseus, will you become my champion? If you accept my offer, you will not only have the power of a demigod, but you will have more control over your wizard powers."

I stopped and turned to look at the goddess. In the time that I had spent talking to her, she had changed from tense and worried, to calm and collected. She trusted me.

I took a few steps towards the lady of the mists and dropped to one knee in a bow, "I would be honoured to become the champion of magic."

Hecate stepped towards me and pulled me into a hug. I could feel warm tears falling on my shoulder.

"Thank you, Perseus."

We separated from the hug, and I closed my eyes. Hecate flashed away. Then I walked out of the big house. Annabeth was sitting on a chair, gazing out at the camp."

"Hey!" I said as I reached her.

She turned to look at me, her grey eyes searching my face.

"What did Hecate want to talk about?" She asked.

My gaze fixated on the horizon. The sun was just beginning to sink into the distant city. I sighed as I looked into my girlfriend's eyes, "She just wanted to explain a few more things about the quest. She wanted to make sure that I was prepared."

Annabeth nodded, turning her gaze to the sunset as well. I felt her hand brush over mine, and out fingers linked together.

I heard her sigh tiredly, "Sometimes, I wish that we could just take a break. I mean, it hasn't even been a month, and you're being dragged off into another war. And by the god's none the less. It probably wouldn't even affect us."

My grip tightened, and I leaned into her shoulder. She snuggled into me when I did this and closed her eyes.

"Thank you for the concern, but, we're demigods. It was bound to happen one way or another." I told her. She just sighed again in response.

I stood up and pulled her to her feet, "Com'on, I want to spend the last few hours of my time here hanging with my favourite humans."

Annabeth giggled and followed me as we raced towards the cabin area.

The next morning, I was standing in the stables stroking Blackjacks muzzle, arguing about what type of doughnuts were the best.

He insisted that it was sugar glazed, but I preferred the cream filled ones.

We were interrupted by Chiron clearing his throat. The old centaur looked uncomfortable in the small enclosed space.

I looked up from my horse and nodded to him, "Let's go Blackjack."

The black horse followed the camp director and me out of the stables and towards Thalia's hill. I could see the curly blond hair of my girlfriend. The rest of the seven were there to send me off as well.

We reached the top of the hill, and I was pulled into a bear hug by Annabeth. She kissed me before pulling away. I smiled at her and then turned to look at my friends. Hazel waved lightly at me. Frank nodded in my direction. Jason slapped me on the back; his girlfriend hugged me as well.

I waved to them, and then my gaze shifted to Chiron. His eyes held a deep sadness. I could tell that he was about to cry. A raised an eyebrow slightly at him, and he huffed before pulling me into a hug. I returned it.

When I finally was done with the goodbyes, I turned to Blackjack, "You ready to fly. I hope that you got a good nights sleep. We're flying all the way to England."

'Of course, I'm ready. As long as you promise doughnuts when we get there!'

I laughed at his antics, and then I mounted him. I gave one last glance at my friends before Blackjack rose into the sky.


	3. The New D.A.D.A Teacher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wizards reach Hogwarts and begin to eat dinner. They take notice of the empty DADA teachers chair and assume the worst. But then their teacher shows up. They lead Professor Jackson to his classroom and then head to their dorms to sleep.

(Harry's POV)

I was sitting at the Gryffindor house table with my friends and girlfriend. We were watching the new first years get sorted, cheering with the rest of our house when one was sorted into Gryffindor.

I glanced up at the staff table. Professor Slughorn was slouched in his seat, looking nervous. He had been brought back as the Potions teacher and head of Slytherin house this year. Professor Sprout and Flitwick were also sitting at the table. They would remain the same. Hagrid, taking up a reasonable space of the table was sitting there as well, a slight smile on his face. A few more familiar faces also sat among the head dining table. There was a new teacher in the Transfiguration seat that Professor McGonagall used to fill. But the Defense Against the Dark Arts spot was empty.

The thought that maybe, we wouldn't have that class crossed my mine, but I quickly drove it out. Sure the war was over, but that didn't mean that we would not have to defend ourselves.

I was pulled from my pondering when Hermione nudged my arm. The last first year was being sorted, the hat falling over her eyes.

"Do you think that we'll have a D.A.D.A. teacher this year?" She asked in a whisper.

Harry looked over at her, "I would think so. After all, there could still be threats that we have to fight."

Hermione's eyes widened, "Well, sorry I asked. You shouldn't be so snarky."

"Sorry. I'm just, worried, I guess."

The brunette nodded.

Our attention was torn from our conversation by Professor McGonagall shouting for attention. The hall fell silent again, waiting for her to speak.

"Welcome first years. And for all of those that are returning for another year, welcome back. It is wonderful to see you all again. Now, the Forbidden Forest is still off limits, even for those of you that are known for trespassing into its boundaries. The creatures inside are still recovering, and who knows what escaped into it. The castle still happens to be under reconstruction, despite our best efforts to get it done before the year commenced, so the dungeons are off limits for the time being. Slytherin will be staying in a cleared out classrooms. Boys are to stay in one, and girls are to stay in the other. If any are seen where they are not supposed to be seen, they will face a month of detention, and punishment. Since I have the responsibility of Headmaster, I will no longer be able to teach Transfiguration, so please welcome your new Transfiguration teacher, Professor Silvina Abercorn. There will be a new Defense Against the Dark Arts class this year, and the teacher will arrive soon. With all that said, thank you, and Lemon Drop!"

The empty platters on the tables filled with food. I felt much better after the speech and filled my plate with the food.

After a while, the meats and bread were switched out for mountains of sweets and sugar. Ron, somehow still managing to stuff his face, piled more food on his plate.

I was just starting on my second helping of a Treacle Tart when the Great Halls doors were thrown open against the chill of the night. A man, about nineteen years old, closed them behind him. He realize in the usual black robes that many of Hogwarts inhabitants wore. His hair was a ragged mess and seemed to have a mind of its own. His eyes portrayed the sea, wild and strong-willed, but gentle to those it cared for. But, deep inside the deep green, I could see hidden horror, fears that he would never share with anyone. Since he was wearing long, flowing robes, I couldn't tell what his build looked like, but from his face and arms, he was probably decked with muscles.

"Professor Jackson, I did not expect you to be this late. Did you have trouble?" The headmistress called to him.

The man nodded, "Yes, I met with some unfriendly creatures on my way here, but they were dealt with."

The headmistress nodded to him and gestured to an empty seat at the Grand Table. The new man walked across the hall proudly, despite the fact that many judgemental eyes were on him.

I could tell that he was American, and I was a little surprised that they had hired from there.

He reached his seat but did not sit. Professor McGonagall raised her hands to stop the whispers that were filling the room.

"This is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Perseus Jackson. Please treat him with respect and patience, as this is his first year in teaching a class. Since I am now the Head of Hogwarts, I am devastated to say that; I can no longer be head of the Gryffindor House, I am giving that job to Professor Jackson. Now, if you have anything to add, please do Professor." The headmistress asked as she looked pointedly at him.

Professor Jackson pursed his lips, and shook his head, "I think that the introduction you gave will suffice. Everything else that I have to say can and will be explained in the classroom. There is no need to explain it here."

The headmistress nodded, "Very well, everyone, please go back to enjoying your dessert. You have a half hour left before you are to be escorted back to your comment rooms. And please remember, I know that there is going to be a lot of excitement, but try and sleep on time. You will receive your schedules in the morning, and begin attending them."

Everyone slowly started to continue the conversations they were before. Chatter filled the Great Hall. I finished my Treacle Tart and turned to talk to Ginny.

"She was leaning against Nevil with a sleepy look in her eyes. Her plat still had a few sweets on it, but she was staring at them.

"You do know that you don't have to eat them, right Gin?" He reminded her.

The redheaded girl glanced at him, "But they look so good. And I want to beat my record of three. I must eat one more. Otherwise, its a waste."

Harry sighed at her, "You're strange."

She glared at him, "And you are not. The boy who lived. The boy who killed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The boy who could speak parsletoung, and opened the chamber, who got passed all the trials that the great professors of this school set up. The boy who is known for being strange?"

"At least all of that is a normal weird. You just want to eat another pumpkin pastie." I told her.

Ginny sighed, "You're right. It's pathetic. I think that I'm turning into Ron."

"Why ifz bat fo bad?" Came the muffled voice across the table.

We both looked over to see that Ron had paused in stuffing his face to stare at us. He had food falling out of his mouth, and his eyes looked offended.

"Because your eating habits are disgusting. It's almost revolting to watch you." Hermione spoke up, looking up from her book at her boyfriend, "You really should learn some manners."

I smiled slightly as he turned to look disbelieving at her. Ginny laughed beside me.

The food on the tables faded away, much to Ron's dismay, and I turned to look up at the headmistress.

"I promise that this is the last time that I will be informing you all of something. Would Prefects please gather all the first-years and show them to the common rooms. Slytherin, you will follow Professor Slughorn down to what will serve as your dorms until the dungeons are finished. I hope that you all have a good night." Professor McGonagall turned from the podium and walked out of the hall, closely followed by some of the other teachers, and some students. I saw the Prefects stand and call for all of the new students.

I stood from the table, ready to go to my dorm room and sleep. Ron also stood up, but he was grabbed by the arm and pulled back.

"Wha- Bloody Hell Hermione, could you not try and kill me?" He exclaimed in anger, trying to regain his balance.

Hermione apologised to halfheartedly and then pointed towards the Grand Table. Professor Jackson was looking around the hall with a warm, longing look in his eyes.

He wandered down from the table and across the hall, staring in wonder at the floating candles and magic ceiling. The ceiling was a soft blue that night, and the stars shone brightly.

"So, what about him. He's looking around in awe, was that really a reason to croak me?" Ron huffed.

Hermione glared at him, "Shut up. I pointed him out because he's alone, the new head of our house and, he probably has never been here before tonight. He's obviously American, and most likely went to one of the American wizarding schools. He might need help getting to his office and room."

I looked back at the professor. He wandered paused at the entrance to the Great Hall and looked over his shoulder, directly at me. His green eyes met mine, and what I saw took my breath away.

His eyes really were reminiscent of the sea on a bright and sunny beach. I could see the light and breathy look in them. They seemed to show what the sea looked like on a bright, calm day. The waves silent, and the sun warm. It wasn't one of those days that wasn't too hot either, but just perfect. Perfect to lay in the sand. But the longer I stared, the more I saw the pain. Just behind the light green was a dull, soft tone. It almost reminded me of what it looked like to see a beach covered in trash and plastics.

Like the sea was mourning the loss of something great.

It took my breath away to see all that in a person's eyes. It took me a moment to realise that Ron was calling my name.

"-arry. Harry. Are you there?"

I turned to look at him, "What?"

There was a concerned look in his eyes.

"You were staring at him. He waved, and you just continued to stare. It freaked him out." Hermione said as she looked at me.

I looked back at the Professor to see that he was checking his clothes for something. I flushed slightly. I hadn't meant to stare, but his eyes were captivating.

Hermione called my name again, "Harry, why don't we go ask if he needs help."

I nodded, and the three of us walked over to him. Ginny appeared at my side before we could say anything.

"Hello, Professor. You looked a little lost, and we were wondering if we could help you at all?"

The Professor looked up, "Um, yeah. I could use a little help. I've never been here before, and I don't know my way around."

Hermione gave a smile and nodded to him, "We would be glad to show you the way to the Gryffindor Common Room, or to your office if you need."

"Thank you. I would be grateful." He replied, "What are your names?"

"Hermione Granger, an eighth-year student here. And these are my friends, Ron Weasley, And Ginny Weasley, his sister. And then that's Harry Potter."

Professor looked at me, and tilted his head to the side, "I've heard your name before, haven't I?"

I blinked at him, "I wouldn't know Professor."

The black-haired man shook his head, "Sorry. That was a little creepy. My name is Percy Jackson. Professor Jackson, I guess?"

He sounded like he was asking a question more than stating who he was, "Please lead the way to my office?"

We lead the way out of the Great Hall and up a few flights of stairs. Professor Jackson stared at the building around us as we walked. His eyes were filled with amazement and awe.

"When was this place built?" He asked.

I looked at Hermione for the answer. She seemed surprised that someone was interested in the school so much.

"It was established somewhere around the thirteenth century. It is considered to be one of the finest institutes in the wizarding world. It was created by the four founding wizards, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin."

"What does each house represent," The Professor asked as he turned his gaze to Hermione.

The brunette quickly answered his question, "Well, there's Gryffindor. The house was founded by Godric Gryffindor. Its colours are Scarlett and Gold. The element is fire. The traits of Gryffindor students are bravery and chivalry. They are represented by the Lion. Then there's Ravenclaw. This house was founded by Rowena Ravenclaw; the colours are blue and bronze. Their animal is the eagle, and their element is air. Traits are intelligence and creativity. Hufflepuff was created by Helga Hufflepuff. Their colours are yellow and black, and the animal is the badger. Their element is Earth. Some traits are Dedication and Loyalty. And finally Slytherin. The house was founded by Salazar Slytherin, and the colours are green and silver. Their element is water, and their animal is the serpent. Some traits are ambition and cleverness. That's all the houses."

Professor Jackson blinked a couple of times, trying to process a significant amount of information that had been sent that way. It took him a few seconds, but he ended up nodding. I knew how he felt. Hermione had that effect on people.

"Wow. You sure know a lot about this school." He told her.

Hermione beamed at the praise, her cheeks flushing slightly.

We walked for a little bit longer in silence until we reached the door to the D.A.D.A. classroom. The Professor opened the door and stepped inside, beckoning for us to follow.

The four of us walked in behind him. The room looked far different than it had the last year that I was here. All of the desks were gone, and in their places were stools. The stools were arranged in a full circle, leaving the centre open. The centre and every other available space were filled with crates of things. Probably what we would be studying.

One of the walls was covered in portraits of people. They all wear weird looking outfits, like bed sheets. There was one of a centaur that was placed above all the others. All of them turned to wave at us in greeting. One with blonde hair wearing a golden bed sheet pulled out a bow and began to polish it. The centaur turned and winked at Professor Jackson.

One of the other walls had hooks on it. And the others were bland, having windows that showed a view of the school grounds, and let light into the room. The usual chalkboard pajamas against the wall for later. The stairs the led up to the office were cleared with a pathway to them for easy access.

"Whoa, this place looks different." Ron exclaimed from my side as he did a one-eighty, "Just what are we learning this year? Is everyone getting the same curriculum?"

I looked at the teacher; he tilted his head, "In a sense yes. I will be changing my classes depending on certain students, and how much they know. I've spoken to the headmistress about this, and she agrees that it would be for the best. The other teachers also know that the classes will change the first week or so."

Hermione pursed her lips, "What are you teaching us?"

The professor looked at her, a slight smirk growing on his face, "You'll just have to wait and find out won't you?"

The brunette huffed but left the subject alone. Professor Jackson turned to look at the rest of us.

"You should all head to your dorms. The headmistress was right about having to get ready for tomorrow."

I nodded to him, "We'll see you tomorrow then sir."

The four of us walked out of the classroom and navigated the halls to the Gryffindor Common Room. The Fat Lady gave us the side eye as she let us in without the password.

I bid goodnight to Ginny and Hermione, and then followed Ron up to our room. Nevil was passed out on his bed. Dean and Seamus were whispering in the corner. They looked up when we walked in.

Dean gave a weak smile, "You guys already up to mischief?"

Ron snorted, "Nah. It's a little too early for that."

Seamus laughed, Dean shook his head in disappointment. I rolled my eyes and changed into my pyjamas.

Before I crawled under my blankets, Seamus caught my attention.

"You alright mate? You've been almost silent since we got here." He asked with concern.

I shook my head, "Just tired."

He nodded, and then returned to his conversation with Dean. I looked out the window, gazing at the stars in the sky.

They seemed to shine brighter tonight. I wondered if that meant that I would have a regular school year. That would be nice.

I snuggled into the sheets on my bed and closed my eyes. Surprisingly, I fell into a dreamless sleep.


	4. Iris Message Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy wakes up to Professor McGonagall and begins his day with a sausage. He starts to train his first class and has help from Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They start to set up the class and then begin the lesson.

Percy's POV

I was sorting through my bag of luggage when I heard a voice behind me.

I turned around and looked into the iris message. Grey eyes and blonde hair greeted me.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

My girlfriend smiled, "Hey Percy. What are you up to?"

I looked back at my bag, "Just unpacking and making sure that I have everything."

"I was worried that I might have gotten the time difference wrong and was bothering you?"

"You're fine," I chucked, "I'm supposed to be sleeping, but I just can't fall asleep. The nightmares and all."

Annabeth sighed but nodded, "I know. I feel the same."

I leaned against my bed as I turned to look at her, "Isn't it like midnight there?"

She blushed and nodded. I chuckled.

"Well, I have to get at least some sleep. Night Annabeth."

"Night Percy." She called out and then waved a hand through the rainbow.

I turned back to my luggage and continued unpacking. After I had moved all of the newly bought robes from my trunk and into the closet that had magically appeared when I walked into the office and had stored my chest under my bed, I crawled under my covers and let sleep consume me.

Surprisingly I had a dreamless sleep.

I opened my eyes to a blinding light the next day. I jumped back with a gasp when I saw an orange tabby staring at me while it lay on my stomach.

"What are you doing in here." I managed to get out, "How did you even get in here?"

I looked around my room, the door was still closed and locked. The windows weren't broken, and everything was as I had left it when I had gone to sleep.

The cat lept off the bed and turned to look at me. Slowly, it began to morph, until the headmistress was standing in front of me.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were up at a respectable time. You do have classes today. But I also know that you may not be used to the time change." She explained.

I felt a blush forming on my face. I was dressed in just my boxers, and Annabeth didn't seem fazed at all.

"U-um, yeah. I'm a really light sleeper so I would have woken up when the sun was through the windows. A-and, I don't really sleep for that long either. The way my life is and all." I stuttered out.

She nodded, "I'll let you get dressed. Breakfast starts in ten minutes. The first class is in one hour."

"Um, thanks, Headmistress."

"You're a college. You're going to save my people. Call me Minerva."

"Ok."

The elder woman turned and walked out of the room, unlocking the door as she went.

I collapsed back into my bed the second that the door closed behind her. My heart thumping in my chest. I let out a shaky laugh.

"I would think that nothing should surprise me with what I've been through." I murmured to myself. I threw the covers off of my legs and stood up. I stretched and yawned a couple of times.

I got dressed and made sure that I had Riptide and my wand. The wand had been provided by Hecate when we had started training.

I walked out of the room, into the office just outside. One of the moving portraits on the wall greeted me. I waved back to them.

As I made my way through the halls, navigating my way to the Great Hall, I looked around. The night before, the first thought through my head had been, 'Annabeth would die to see this!"

The Hogwarts Castle really was terrific. The moving staircases, and talking portraits. The fact that it was enchanted made it even more impressive.

I walked down the last few stairs and into the Great Hall. Each house was sitting at their respective table. The students were talking and stuffing their faces. It reminded me of camp. Everyone was acting like a family.

I made my way to the head table. Food was already laid out. I grabbed a couple of sausages and nibbled on them.

The headmistress walked into the room and sat in her chair. When what looked like most of the students were in the Great Hall, she raised her hands. Silence filled the hall.

"Classes start today as you know. There may be some slight changes to your schedule depending on certain things. Please be patient with the staff and the new teachers. Thank you."

She snapped her fingers and rolls of papyrus appeared in front of each student. Chatter filled the hall again. I finished the sausage and sipped some blue coke from the goblet in front of me.

One of the professors, I think her name was Pomona Sprout turned to talk to me.

"Hey. How did you sleep last night? The time change didn't bother you too much, did it. If you're tired, I can get some plants that will give you energy."

I looked over at her, "I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern."

Pomona smiled at me and then went back to her plate. I gazed out at the students and wondered what the day would bring. After all, I was teaching wizards how to use weapons. It was bound to be interesting.

After I had finished my goblet of coke, I rose from my seat and made my way to the classroom. I still had a lot of unpacking and setting up to do. As I passed the Gryffindor table, one of the students that had helped me the night before waved.

"Professor Jackson, do you need any help setting up the class. I saw that there were still crates of stuff when we walked with you yesterday." She asked.

A soft smile made its way onto my face, "I was just thinking about how much work it was gonna be to get everything done before class. If you would like to help, please do."

The brunette smiled at me and rose from her seat, dragging a redhead with her. Another one followed.

I turned and walked out of the Great Hall. The small group of us navigated the stairs and hallways until we had made our way back to the D.A.D.A class.

I walked inside and thanked whoever had set it up with what it had at the moment. It was most likely the Headmistress or Hecate.

I turned to look at the students, "Ok, so I'm going to open the crates and start unpacking them. I want you to help me do that. Put the items where I tell you to if you would please. Oh, and please remind me of your names. I'm horrible at remembering them."

"I'm Hermione Granger sir. And this is Ron Weasley and Harry Potter." Hermione explained.

"Ah, Yes. I'll be sure to remember that." I said, then I turned to the crates and took my wand out. Using a spell, I broke the seal on one of them and opened it. Inside, carefully packed with bubble wrap and styrofoam, were a few swords.

"Can you place these on the hooks on that wall," I asked as I waved my wand and they floated up. The students reached for them carefully as I went to open another crate. In this one, daggers gleamed in the low light of the room.

Most of the weapons that had been shipped to the school were made by Leo and a few of his siblings.

The third crate I opened was filled with bows. The next, arrows, and then some of the lesser known weapons. One box had a couple of hammers in it.

Soon, the wall that was covered in hooks was adorned with different weapons. The rest were carefully stored in the closet located next to the wall.

I had to summon another closet for the cleaning supplies and other remedies. After all the weapons had been placed where they were supposed to, there were two more crates.

I cracked the first and inside was a few straw dummies. I waved my wand, they flew up and lined up against one of the windowed walls. The second crate was packed with armour. They joined the dummies.

I turned my attention to the blackboard in the corner. The chalk rose from its resting place. It began to write.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron all went to take a seat on one of the stools as I focused on writing.

Soon enough, the blackboard had the instructions for the class on it.

Please take a seat on one of the stools in the middle of the room. Leave all of your bags and any other supplies in the corner by the windows. You do not have to have your wand present for this class, but if you so wish to keep it with you, please keep it in your pocket. You will not need them today.

I waited for my first class to arrive.

"Are you three excited for this school year?" I asked the three students.

Ron wrinkled his nose, "'Course not. But because of the bloody war last year, we had to repeat our seventh year at Hogwarts."

Hermione elbowed Ron, "Oh, be quiet. Your glad that you are back here. And think, it's going to be a relief when we have a normal school year here. Or so to say."

I just shook my head at their antics, "What about you, Mr Potter?"

Harry glanced at his feet, "I guess I'm glad that I'm here." He said, "I am actually looking forward to having a semi-normal year."

I nodded to him. I knew exactly how he felt. After all, I had been on six quests, been in two wars, and all within six years of my life. It could become quite exhausting. Though I also felt sympathy for him, because this was going to be no ordinary year.

Slowly, my first class of students trickled in. They all did the instructions on the board asked. I just leaned against the wall next to the board, waiting.

At last, of the students were in the class. I walked into the middle of the stool circle, "Alright, as you all should know by now, I am Professor Jackson. I don't really take kindly to formalities, so if you want to call me Jackson, or Percy, I do not mind.

"You will not be using your wands much this year, but you will still need them for some things. You will mostly be using a weapon of your choice. Learning how to handle it, and clean it properly. The reason we are focusing on physical fighting this year is that magic will not always work. It may help in those kinds of situations, but it will not get you out of them."

One of the students cut me off, "How do you know?"

"I have been in many places that magic would not help me. I have had to use my wit and my physical fighting skill to get me out. Some creatures in the world are immune to magic. Such as Centaurs. You can use a spell to harm one by manipulating the area around them, but since they travel in heard and are impervious to most direct attacking spells, a weapon and agility would be most suited to fight them." I said.

"Moving on, when you are in this class, you are not allowed to touch any weapon without permission. You are not allowed to use a weapon without another Professor or me watching you. When you have the weapon, do not use it to hurt your classmates, no matter what. Handling a blade, or an arrow is very dangerous. Just like magic, you must be careful how you use it. Using a spell wrong, or using a wand that does not like you will end in disaster. Using a knife, or dagger wrong could get you and someone else very hurt as well.

"So, and I cannot stress this enough, you must be very careful in this class. Now, depending on your skill level with a weapon now, and how fast you learn and progress, you may be placed in a different classroom. I cannot say for sure where you should be placed until I can see a demonstration. Since the classroom is small, we will be moving outside to the edge of the lake. I want you all to line up facing the lake. I will then proceed to ask you what weapon you would like to learn to use. If it doesn't feel right when I give it to you, it's not the right weapon for you."

The class rose to their feet and began to make their way outside. I waved my wand, and the doors to the storage cabinet opened. One weapon of each kind fluttered out and lay gently in the crate that I had left open.

I followed my students outside. They had lined up, facing the lake, just I had asked.

I started at the beginning of the line and moves my way down. I made notes on which students needed which weapons. When I was done doing that, I focused on the class again.

"Have any of you actually wielded a weapon before today?" I asked.

Three of the students raised their hands. One was Harry, I wasn't surprised, one was another Gryffindor boy with black hair. And the last one was a Ravenclaw girl with short brown hair.

I nodded to them, "I would like to see how advanced you are. I know that it may have been a short burst of power, but it still may have changed how you wield a weapon. Please come stand here."

I gestured to the tree behind me. The three students lined up against it.

"The rest of you are welcome to stay and watch. But you can also wander around. Do not go back to the castle yet, and please do not go into the forest. It is forbidden for a reason." The other students began to mill around. That or they sat down to watch me evaluate the three students.

"Which weapon have you used?"

"Um..it was a sword." He replied.

I nodded and handed him the sword that I brought along. He gingerly grabbed it, and then stood them awkwardly. I jotted down some notes, then told him how to adjust his stance. Soon he was holding correctly.

'He might be able to do better if he had a more balanced sword. But other than that, he looks very promising. But he still lacks the experience to put him in the advanced class.'

I moved on to the next boy.

"What is your name?" I asked him.

"Nevil Longbottom sir,"

I handed him the sword. He clumsily grabbed it.

I had to steady him to keep him from impaling himself, and then I snatched the blade away. I jotted down some notes.

'Keep him as far away from sharp objects as possible until he can learn to use them correctly. He might be more steady later, but not now. We need to work on balance.'

I then moved on to the last student.

She spoke before I could say anything, "My name is Cassidy Foreman. I'd prefer a dagger."

I waved my wand, and a dagger floated up and over to me gently. I called Harry over and asked him to place the sword back into the crate. He did so.

I handed Cassidy the dagger. She jumped into a very well constructed defensive stance as soon as it was within her grasp.

'She has a perfect defensive stance, but she needs to work on keeping her vitals covered.' I thought.

"Very good. Do you mind if I spar with you?" I asked her.

The younger girl nodded.

I slipped my wand into my robe pocket and pulled out riptide. The pen elongated into my familiar sword. It felt nice to have it back after so long.

The other students in her class began to gather around when they saw that I had a sword. I moved away from the tree and into more open space.

"Miss. Foreman, whenever you are ready. I will never attack you so I will be on the defensive for this entire fight." I said.

The young Ravenclaw jumped at me and slashed with her dagger down. I blocked and took a step back to keep my balance. She tried to trip me by planting her leg behind my knee as I stepped back, but I ducked and twirled out of the way. She slashed at me one more time, and I disarmed her.

"You are very strong, but you need to work on strategy. I obviously have more experience and strength than you, so I'll have more stamina. The best thing you could do in that situation is not to rush me, but to use fake outs and try to trick me." I instructed.

Cassidy nodded, then handed me the dagger back. I placed it in the crate.

I turned my attention back to the class, "Well, this has been an interesting class. You all have done brilliantly so far. Please head back to the classroom and gather your stuff."

The class trudged back up into the classroom. I made sure that the weapons were secure, and then I locked the crate up so no one could get into it.

We reached the classroom, and the students chattered among themselves as they got ready to leave for their next class.

"Her, Professor," Hermione called out as I walked into the class. I gave her my attention.

"Yes, Miss. Granger?"

The brunette opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Ron.

"That was bloody brilliant out there. You really know your stuff." He exclaimed as he raced up to me.

I blinked in surprise, "Well, of course. They wouldn't have an amateur teach a class like this."

"He's right Ronald. Use some of the brains that are in your head for once," Hermione complained.

Ron whined at the insult, but fell silent and let the bushy brunette continue.

"Why did you fight Cassidy, but not Harry or Nevil?" She asked.

I pursed my lips, " Mr Longbottom has skills, but they aren't strong enough in handling a weapon. If I had given him a real sword, long enough to spar with me, someone else would have gotten hurt, including him. As for you, Mr Potter, you didn't have the right stance. You will be able to do better with a more balance sword, but you were not strong enough, or experienced enough to spar with me." I took a breath, "Miss. Foreman had the confidence to hold her dagger like a warrior. She had a perfect offensive stance and defensive stance. They were not perfect, but the could work against an opponent. I figured that I might as well see what she could do. I hope that was a good enough answer for you."

Hermione nodded, "I can see the logic behind it."

I nodded to her. Then I checked the time and dismissed the class. They all turned to leave.


	5. The Dinner Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The great hall is overrun with spiders. One of them seems to know Percy and even has an angry conversation with the son of the sea god.

Harry's POV

After we walked out of the DADA classroom, I turned to Hermione.

"Something is up. There should be no reason that they are teaching us how to defend ourselves with swords instead of Magic. What was Professor McGonagall thinking!"

"Harry, calm down. Of course, there is a reason. There has to be one." Hermione reasoned, "Professor Jackson isn't forbidding us to study magic, he just isn't going to teach us about it."

"That's practically saying that we aren't allowed to use magic!" Ron argued.

Hermione whirled around to glare at her boyfriend, "Ronald! You are not helping me here. Professor Jackson never forbids us from using it. He never said that we couldn't use it in class, just that it would be ill-advised when were using weapons!"

Ron flinched back, his lips forming a pout, "Sorry."

I rolled my eyes, "I'll stick by what I said."

When Hermione turned to me to yell I held up a hand, "I'm not gonna try to stop him from teaching us from what he needs to, and I'm not gonna bring the DA out again. I just don't completely trust him."

We continued walking the long winding hallways to out next class. Ron and I had Divination. Hermione split up with us and waved goodbye to enter her Ancient Ruins class.

We walked into the classroom. Nevil was sitting next to Pavart, whispering about something or another. Professor Trelawny was staring blankly at the desk she sat at. There was a cup of tea in front of her. It was empty as far as I could tell.

We settled down in the fluffy seats to wait for the class to begin. Other student stumbled in. The course was almost overcrowded. Both 7th-year and 8th-year students were sitting in every seat, some kneeling next to the tables because there weren't enough chairs.

Professor Trelawny looked up from the cup directly at me. When she spoke, her voice was deep and raspy.

"Another war to end all others. Alliance shall be found in those who don't exist to mortal eyes. Beware the Lady of the Night with a silver-haired servant."

I felt a shiver go down my spine at her words. The Professor blinked and cleared her throat, "Welcome back to another year of Divination. I'm glad to see that you are all still with us. Please take out your textbooks and open them to page 356. We are going to be starting off the school year with a review. Today we will be reading tea leaves."

One of the seventh year students raised her hand. Professor Trelawney looked at her and nodded.

"Um, I think that you just spouted a prophecy. You went all glassy-eyed and said some pretty, um scary things." The student said nervously.

"Oh, did I." The teacher tilted her head and cleared her throat again, "I apologise. I'm sure that it was nothing to worry about. I will speak to the Headmistress after class. Now please, have one person from your table come and get a tea set."

Ron and I stopped listening to what she was saying in favour of sharing a look. We ducked our heads together and began to whisper about it.

"Do you think that it was a real premonition, like that time that you were here alone, and she went all crazy?" Ron asked.

I shrugged, "I don't know. But I think that we should keep an eye out. That wasn't something she normally does."

Ron nodded at that, then pursed his lips, "What are we looking out for though?"

At that, I tried to think up a response, but it was hard. What exactly was I looking for?

"Um, maybe someone with silver hair. And a lady who walks at night?"

"I think what you should be looking out for is suspicious people." Nevil chipped in while pouring the entire table a cup of tea. He almost knocked over his teacup when he set his down.

Both Ron and I looked at him, "Yeah."

Nevil looked both of us in the eyes, "What?"

"You just, usually you try to stay away from us when we are meddling in stuff that we should be." Ron supplied

"Well. After what happened last year, I think that its ok for me to be a little different. I don't know about the three of you considering that you didn't hear, but Luna, Ginny and I ran the DA while you were gone. I had to sneak around for a lot of stuff when that happened."

Realization washed over Harry at Nevils words, "Your right. Thank you for that by the way."

Nevil nodded, "Someone had to do it."

"Drink drink drink. We don't have all day to doddle around." Professor Trelawney said as she passed by our group, "start reading the tea leaves."

The rest of the day passed without anything else happening. We met up with Hermione and made our way to the Great Hall. On our way there, we ran into Professor Jackson. He was having a conversation with one of the pictures on the wall.

The picture was that of a centaur and a unicorn in a forest pool. A couple of birds flitted through the trees.

"at bad, living in a painting. I mean, this is our home, but we aren't actually stuck to one painting. We can go and talk to the paintings on the seventh floor if we so felt like it."

"That's interesting. I've never actually seen something like this. Annabeth would go nuts about this." The Professor replied.

"Did that wizarding school in America not have moving pictures? Or what about your parents. Unless you're a Muggle-Born, in which case, I am terribly sorry for insulting you."

"Oh, no no. Its, I'm a half-blood, but I never knew my father. He's the one that I got my magic from. He disappeared when I was a baby. And I didn't know I was a wizard until a little while ago. I had my great-grandmother teach me everything I know about magic."

The unicorn snorted and tossed its head. Professor Jackson turned around to see us.

"Oh, why hello." He greeted.

Ron waved, and Hermione bounced over to the teacher, "You've never seen a moving painting before. I hadn't either, until my first year. It was bizarre. I mean, I'm a muggle-born, so I didn't even know about magic either until I was sent the letter."

The professor smiled, "Yeah. My mother actually knows all about it, but she never mentioned it because she didn't want to put me in danger."

"Was it because of Voldemort?" Ron asked, and the group began to walk again.

"Yes, it was, actually. She didn't want to lose me to Voldemort so she kept it a secret until she couldn't any longer. My grandmother was the founder of the American Wizarding school my father went to. She gave me privet lessons until I was caught up in my year."

"How long ago was that?" Hermione questioned after a small moment of silence.

The Professor fell silent and began to think, "It was a couple of years ago if I remember correctly. I did all year schooling with classes every day. I even live with her. She wasn't all that forgiving."

He winced as if he remembered, "If I got anything wrong, I had to do a gruelling chore like cleaning out the entire horse stable."

Hermione nodded in understanding, "If you don't mind answering this as well, how old are you? You look to be maybe 19, and if that's true, then you're the same age as us."

Professor Jackson pursed his lips, and looked like he was about to reply when he looked at the three of us, "Enjoy your dinner."

We were at the entrance to the Great Hall. The Profesor walked in and up to the staff table and sat down. We watched him go.

Hermione made a miffed noise as she walked to the Gryffindor table. We followed her.

More students filtered into the dining hall and sat down at their table. When everyone was there, Headmistress McGonagall stood and raised a hand.

The hall fell silent.

"I hope that each of you had a good first day. And may I just give one warning, while we allow students to date, we do not sanction actions beyond holding hands. If students are caught doing anything other than that, there is a good chance that they will be punished for that action. Any more than two offences and expulsion will be in order."

She was glaring at the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables. I saw one girl that was wearing the yellow colours sink in her seat.

"Anyway, I am going to warn all of you that because the Defense Against the Dark Arts class is different this year, some students schedules will be changing. That will be all for today. Please enjoy your dinners. Poppin Poffin."

The plates and bowls along the table filled with food and everyone began to fill their plates.

"That is actually quite disgusting," Hermione said as she buttered up a roll on her platter.

Ron looked over at her from dumping mashed potatoes on his own, "What?"

"What the Headmaster was saying. I can't believe that those students thought it was a good idea to do something like that at school in broad daylight."

I raised an eyebrow, "They could have just been snogging in the hallway. McGonagall never said they were doing anything else." I replied.

Hermione and Ginny both rolled their eyes at me.

"Harry, she wouldn't have said anything if they were just snogging, which by the way, should not be done in the hallway during class." Ginny amended.

"But-" I started.

Ginny cut me off by sticking a spoonful of some kind of stew in my mouth, "Stop arguing and just let it go. It doesn't involve us."

I swallowed the stew and went back to my plate. I grabbed the bowl of mashed potatoes from Ron before he could take them all.

Dinner continued with little other discussions that were outside of what had happened in classes that day. That was until a girl at the Ravenclaw table screamed.

The entire Great Hall fell quiet and turned to look at her.

She was brushing at her clothes furiously. A couple other Ravenclaw students were trying to get her to hold still so that they could help her.

At first, I couldn't see what was wrong. And then she turned around.

Crawling up her back was a spider about the size of a cat. Its six black eyes were glistening black and flitting over the room hungrily. It clung to her robes and bit into her shoulder.

She screamed again, and the fell face first into the cobblestone floor. Several other students began to stand up. Fear rippled through the crowds, and I could feel the tension in the air.

The spider scuttled from the downed girls back and towards one of the students that were trying to help her. Before it could reach her all the way, a stream of light blue light flew through the air and hit the arachnid. It stopped, fell to the ground, and curled up.

Professor Jackson was making his way to the student's sides. He knelt next to the downed girl and checked her pulse, and I turned to Ron, "Is that one of the Aracumentula?"

His eyes met mine, "I sure hope that it's not. Cause those things were bloody terrifying."

I was going to say something else when the sound of a thousand legs scuttling reached my ears. I turned to look at the Great Hall entrance. It was being pushed open and a hundred or so more spiders flooded into the room. The crawled over the walls and magic ceiling. Some raced to the tables.

From then on it was chaos. Screams filled the air. I jumped from my seat and grabbed Ginny's hand. We raced towards the entrance of the room, only to be stopped a couple of times by the large hair covered arachnids.

Ginny had her wand in her hand. She was casting hexes at every spider that tried to get to us, "Where did they come from?"

Her voice was breathy from running.

"I don't know," I replied as I grunted a spell at another one.

"5th years, lead first through fourth years to your common rooms. Be quick to gather them." The Headmaster shouted over the chaos. She turned to Professor Slughorn who was right next to her and said something. He nodded and moved to start gathering fifth years, seeming to give them orders.

"Can sixth years please start taking the wounded to the infirmary!" McGonagall screamed again.

Ginny pursed her lips, "I don't think anyone is going to follow those orders. It's too chaotic."

I looked around. Spiders were being fended off by the teachers and more experienced students. My eyes caught Professor Jackson.

He was guarding the girl from earlier, the three the tried to help her and one or two Gryffindor first years. They were huddled close to his back, clinging to his robes. The spider in front of him slung its webbing at the teacher. Three other spiders were trying to get at the professor as well.

His face was pensive, as he blocked an attack from one of the creatures and got a cut down his forearm.

"I think that we should go help him," Hermione said from behind me. I nodded and started towards the teacher. But before we could reach him, two of the four spiders attacking him crumpled to the side and died. The one in the centre hissed in anger and started to speak.

"Θα πληρώσετε για αυτό που κάνατε εσείς και ο Αθηνάς."

Percy tensed again and shot another spell at the last of the other spiders, then he replied to the centre one.

"Δεν ήμουν αυτός που σε κατέστησε αράχνη, ούτε και η Αννάβετ. Δεν πρέπει να είμαστε αυτοί που μετανοούν!"

The centre one snarled once more and then launched itself at Professor Jackson. His eyes widened for a second. He jumped forwards, tearing the student's hands on his robes off. This lets the spider land on top of him.

It hissed in his face and sank its pincers into his shoulder. The teacher grimaced, and I raised my wand to defend him. The only thing that stopped me from casting the spell was a sword appearing through the beast.

It screeched in pain and anger as it died. Its death was unlike all the other spider's deaths. It crumbled do dust that crashed into the professor's face and robe.

The professor stood. He didn't waste a moment to get to the students he had been defending and checking on them to make sure that they were ok.

I looked around the great hall. Arachnid bodies littered the floor. Some were dead, others were dying. One was still engaged in combat with the headmistress, but it stopped and ran towards a window. The window shattered when the great beast tumbled through it.

The rest of the great hall was a mess. Tables were overturned. Bits of food was smashed against the floors and some against the walls. Other house students were helping injured housemates and teachers.

"What the bloody hell just happened?" Ron asked.

"I think the castle was just attacked." Hermione said, "The acro mentula were probably mad that the teachers commenced with another school year after what happened last year."

"But why would they attack us?" Ron asked again, "It's not like we had a choice.

Hermione glared at her boyfriend, "I don't know, Ronald. Why don't you go ask them?"

Ron shied back in surprise. He didn't say anything else.

The headmistress cleared her throat and began to speak to the people that were still in the halls.

"I want the prefects that are still here to help Professor Flitwick and Sprout carry the injured to the infirmary. The rest of your students, please, go back to your common room and get some sleep. Leave the cleanup to the rest of us. Your head of house will stop by the common room tomorrow to tell you if you are allowed to leave and where breakfast will be served if this room is unavailable."

People began to start moving again. I pocketed my wand and walked over to Professor Jackson.

"Are you ok Professor?" I asked.

He looked up at me, "Yes. I'm fine. Can you help me get Melany here over to Professor Flitwick? She needs to see Madam Pomfrey as soon as she can. She's been poisoned, and I can't get it all out."

I nodded. The two of us worked together to get the girl up, sharing the weight between us.

"I want the rest of you to go back to your common rooms. Travel in groups. It will make it safer." He ordered the other students. The all nodded and rushed off to do as he said.

The two of us made it over to the other teacher and gently set the girl down. Jackson explained the situation. At last, he finally turned to me.

"Thank you for your help. That should be all. You are free to go back to the common room."

I watched as he walked off to speak to the headmistress, and pursed my lips. There was something off about him.

"Harry, com'on mate. Let's get back to our dorms." Ginny said as she walked over to me from where she, Ron and Hermione were helping Professor Slughorn.

The four of us made our way back to the common room. It was hushed, and most of the students were crying or trying to comfort their friends. I bid goodnight to Ginny and Hermione and made my way into the boy's dorms.

Ron followed. Seamus wasn't in the room, but Nevil and Dean were. Dean glanced up at us when we walked in. He was hovering over Nevil's unconscious body.

"He fainted as soon as he sat down. I was making sure that he was alright." He explained when he saw us.

I changed out of my robes and into pyjamas and crawled into my bunk. Ron did the same. I thought more about what I saw that night and kept shifting in my bed. It was around midnight that Seamus finally came back to the dorm and I still wasn't asleep.

I made to get out of bed, but a quiet whisper from said boy made me freeze.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. They have teachers patrolling the corridors looking for students and spiders. They're gonna catch you."

I crawled back into the warmth of my bed and soon found sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation of Text
> 
> Spider-You will pay for what you and that Athena spawn did.  
> Percy-I wasn't the one that turned you into a spider, and neither did Annabeth. We shouldn't have to be the ones to repent!


	6. Dreaming of Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy roams the hallways after the attack and catches some students sneaking around. Then he goes to his room and manages to fall asleep, only to be bombarded with visions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has the death of a side character in it. They are quite loved by the HP community, so I am terribly sorry for killing her off, but it had to be done.

Of all the days to leave riptide in my room, I had to choose today. Usually, I would just stick it in my pocket alongside my wand, but today, I didn't feel like I needed it. At least, not after I finished with my last class.

Of course, because it was magic, when I thought about it in my pocket, I found it there, but still.

I walked down the hallway, the portraits quietly waving to me, some of them snoozing. The suits of armour were enchanted and wandering the corridors alongside me. I passed one that nodded to me in respect. I don't know why they acted so human, but then again, I wasn't the one that enchanted them.

I turned another corner to see Horace in deep conversation with an orange tabby cat.

I approached the potions teacher and the cat, both of who barely glanced at me and continued talking.

I stood awkwardly to the side as Horace continued talking. Then he stopped, and the cat nodded. I realised that some of the stripes on its face framed its eyes like glasses, and it occurred to me that it was Minerva. After all, I couldn't forget the first day that she had woken me up.

"Hello, Minerva."

The cat meowed at me and then walked off. I turned my attention back to the Potions Professor, "What were you talking to her about?"

"The Slytherin students are beginning to get impatient. They want their common room and dorms back. They're tired of sleeping in an abandoned classroom, and they don't feel as safe in it anymore after tonight."

I sighed, "They should know that they're safe. What with the number of enchantments on this place, and the fact that some mighty wizards are their teachers."

"Well, yes. But after last year, they know that those enchantments can be broken." He mumbled, "And on top of that, 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' had already died once. There's still a chance that he could come back. I mean, he's practically immortal."

The man's voice had become shrill, "Horace, I'm sure that he's gone this time. You don't just turn to dust and come back. There is a chance that he's still out there, but there is no way that he could come back. Not with his body completely gone and his soul so weak."

He nodded, "I know, but I am a bit of a coward."

I patted his shoulder, "You should go back to the Slytherin house. Who knows if they are even asleep. They should be getting prepared for tomorrow. There may have been an attack last night, but school is still the most important thing right now."

The man nodded and turned in the direction of the staircase, then he turned back to me, "You should also go get some sleep. If what Minerva told the rest of us is true, then you have your work cut out for you."

I nodded to him and turned to go back to my classroom. He was right, but I wasn't sure I would end up sleeping at all. I hadn't slept that well since Tartarus. As much as I hate to acknowledge it, that place really messed Annabeth and me up.

I was just passing through another passage when I felt something brush next to me. Well, it didn't actually touch me, but I could still feel it. Call is instinct.

I looked sharply to where I could feel it and narrowed my eyes. There was a sharp intake of breath, soft enough to be written off as something else, but I knew better.

"I know that you are there. There is no point in hiding." I called out.

There was a shuffling sound, and then Ron and Harry appeared. They both stared at me nervously.

"What did you not understand about staying in your common room until tomorrow. I understand that you don't want to wait, but you are putting not only yourself but also others in danger." I growled at them.

"But, Professor-"

I raised my hand, not wanting to hear their excuse. I understood what it was like to want answers and no one providing them. I also knew what it was like to sneak around, having to do that plenty on my quests, but I still didn't want to give them a pass.

"Let's get you both back into your dorms. You will get answers as soon as they are available. You need to relax. Let the adults handle this."

Potters cheeks flushed with anger, "You're the same age as us! If you're allowed to hear everything that is going on, then I think we deserve to as well."

"I am a faculty member; you are a student. I have more experience than you do and more clearance than you. I will let you know when something involves you, but right now, it doesn't. So go back to your common room and wait until you are asked to leave it. For your safety and the safety of others." I snapped back.

"That's not fair. You weren't there when we were fighting for our lives last year. You don't know anything about what we've been through. In fact, I've never seen you in any papers or heard anything about you. You're a random person that showed up and claimed to be a teacher. For all we know, you could be an imposter who is trying to finish what you couldn't last year!" The emerald eyed man snapped back.

My hands clenched into fists, "You do not know who I am, so you have no clearance to say what I know and what I don't. I can assure you; I have the best wishes for all of the students and teachers in this school. I may not know everything that happened last year, but I was hired to work here, and that is what I am going to do."

"You aren't even teaching magic!" He growled, "So that's even more suspicious. Why would we ever need to know to fight with weapons?

"As I explained in class, you will not always be in a situation where magic will work."

"When exactly. As far as I know, no creature is immune to magic."

"Then you obviously don't have as much experience as I have. There are plenty of creatures that can negate your magic, or cannot be affected by it at all." I said, "Now, enough debating about if I'm qualified to teach here. I am taking you to your common room whether you want to or not. Now come on." I seized Harry's wrist and sent a glare at the Weasley boy. He grabbed the cloak that the two of them had been wearing and followed me as I dragged Harry along.

We went up a couple of flights of stairs and stopped in front of the Fat Lady. She looked scandalised when she saw Ron and Harry in tow, and her face flushed.  
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to keep them in here." She murmured as she swings open, not even asking for a password.

I could tell from her face, and the expression on Ron's that I was radiating fury, but there was no way I was going to take shit from someone who didn't even know what I had done. I don't care if he also fought in a war, I don't care if he was a god. He didn't know who I was and he shouldn't be judging me based on that. And I was tired too, sue me for not taking any shit from them.

I released Potters' wrist and glared at him as Ron stopped by his side. There were a couple of students still in the common room who looked over curious, then went back to what they were doing when they saw me.

"Stay here. If you do not, I cannot say what the punishment will be, but I will get permission from the headmistress to give you one." I snarled at them. Harry flinched backwards as his eyes met mine. I turned to leave the common room.

As the Fat Lady swung shut, I turned to address her, "Change the password to Compass & Cavern. Don't let anyone inside or out, and for the love of everything, don't let something that doesn't seem to be there out if you can. Only change the password or let anyone in if its the Headmistress or myself. Please?"

The portrait nodded, "Very well. I will be sure to follow your orders as I can."

"Thank you," I sighed, "Sorry for being rude earlier."

"It's quite alright. The safety of the students comes first."

I whirled around and began my walk back to my office. As I walked, I rubbed the bridge of my nose. If this was going to be the way some of those students acted, my job was going to be harder than I thought.

I pulled the door to my classroom open, traversed passed the circle of stools and up the stairs into my office. I tapped my wand on the wall, and the passage to my room opened.

The bed called to me, and I collapsed onto the covers with a sigh.

The moon flooded into the room from the window, casting shadows on the walls. It washed the toom in a silver light. An owl flew past my window, and I watched its shadow move across the walls for a moment.

I hadn't called Annabeth since last night, and I probably should. Even if it was late there, and early in the morning here, I knew she wouldn't be asleep. Nightmares plagued her sleep just as much as they troubled mine.

I stood from my bed and knelt next to my trunk that I kept my stuff it. I reached down until my fingers hit the bottom of it, fishing around for the small bag that was stuffed full of dracma.

I pulled some water from the cup on my bedside table and focused on thining it enough to create a rainbow. It worked.

"Iris, please accept my offering. Show me Annabeth Chase, Camp-Half-Blood." I murmured to the colour-filled mist; then I flicked the golden coin into it. It evaporated, and the rainbow fizzled.

It cleared to show a head of blond hair. There was the sound of the surf in the background, and a gentle wind made the curls bounce.

I guessed that she was hiding in the dunes on the beach. It was the safest place from the harpies and the only place you could enjoy the sea breeze and ocean without touching the water.

"Hey, Wise Girl!" I called to her softly.

She jumped and her head whipped around to face me. A smile blossomed across her lips, her eyes lighting with happiness, "Hey Seaweed-Brain!"

I glanced at the sand she was sitting in as she shifted to face me more comfortable, "Isn't it a little late to be visiting the beach?"

"Well, its even later where you are, so what are you doing up?" She shot back at me.

I considered her answer with a soft smile, "Touche. I couldn't sleep, so I thought I would call you and talk about what's been going on. Anything interesting happens at camp today?"

Annabeth pursed her lips and tilted her head thinking, "Not really. We did get a new camper. His name is Andre Hissofofer, and he's a son of Apollo."

She pauses for a moment, and then a smiled came onto her face again, "Oh yeah. Clarisse got set on fire when she was instructing the climbing wall. But that's the only other notable thing. New Rome has been good as well."

"That sounds delightful compared to whats been going on here." I said as I studied her grey eyes, "I know that I've instructed sword lessons back at camp, but I guess I'm used to the people in teaching having the instincts to handle a sword. Most of the people here have never even touched a weapon.

"I actually had to stop this one kid from impaling himself on a sword today. And to add to that, I have to teach archery, and you know how good at that I am."

Annabeth let out a snort, "I bet you will make the best archery teacher. None of the other teachers will know what hit them, or why an arrow from wherever your teaching ended up halfway across the school."

I rolled my eyes at her antics, "At least there are only like four or five students that want to learn archery. But, that's not all that happened. Tonight, there was an attack on the Great Hall. It was a bunch of arachnids. Apparently, the Forbidden Forest right next to the castle had a colony of Acromentula, and no one decided to inform me."

Annabeth paled as I spoke, and gulped.

"At least I wasn't there to experience it. I know that I did well against Arachne, but I don't know if I could face a spider and not get flashbacks of 'that place.'"

I nodded, and then a yawn overtook me. The long day was finally catching up on me. I turned back to the rainbow after glancing outside.

"I have another long day ahead of me. I'll talk to you tomorrow Annabeth. Love you!"

"I love you too Percy." She whispered back, "Goodnight!"

At that, I swiped my hand through the mist. The image of Long Island and my girlfriend evaporated before my eyes. I stared at the spot that it had been for another moment before I closed my eyes and sighed.

I made my way to the bed and lay down on it, hoping that sleep would come quickly to me, and that, like last night, it would be dreamless.

It eluded me for a while, but I finally managed to fall into its cold embrace.

And boy, did I wish I hadn't.

The cell was cold, dark, and damp. There was a small barred window in the corner that flashed with lightning and rain. The wind howled through it. The cell itself was small. Barely large enough to fit two people into it and on top of that, stones and bones scattered across the floor.

The sound of the wind was accompanied by a cacophony of screams that echoed down the hallway, some of pain, and some of insanity. There were robed ghosts that passed by, bringing the feeling of winter with them, which was funny considering the cell was already cold.

I was in the cell with a man. His hair, long and matted with dirt and grime, was a scraggly silver colour. His cheeks were sunken in, and his eyes had dark rings around them. A permanent scowl was etched on his lips. His entire face had the emotion rage written on it, and it twisted his features into a horrible mask. The clothes he wore, black robes much like the ones that I was required to wear at Hogwarts, were torn and they hung off his skin and bones frame. His feet were bare, scraped and bleeding.

He approached the thick, grimy bars of the cell and struck the metal cuffs around his wrists against them. An enraged scream tore its way from his throat.

The shadows in the corner near the window bubbled, and a woman walked out.

She was dressed entirely in black, but her feet were bare. Her face was covered in shadows, but her calming brown eyes glowed from within them.

A scream answered the silver-haired man's followed by mad laughter.

"My pet, calm yourself. Throwing a tantrum will not do anything for you. If anything, it drags whats left of your composure through the mud."  
Her voice was like honey, but I felt like I had heard it before.

The man whirled to face her, a snarl already on his lips, "I am not throwing a tantrum."

The woman raised an eyebrow, but she dismissed his comment, "I am almost done with what I have to do to get you out of here. Call the hound."

The man growled again, "Why am I taking orders from you again? It's not like I'm-"

The woman raised a hand, and the man seemed to choke.

"Do I have to remind you, you begged for my help. You serve under me if you want to get out of here. Now call the beast!"

The man stumbled away from her, trying to escape the feeling that had consumed him. He got closer to the bars and began to bang his cuffs against the cold metal that led to the hallway.

One of the robed demons that floated by glanced over at him stopped and approached.

It placed a decaying hand against the already cold bars, frost growing from where it was set.

The man didn't flinch back when the smell of death invaded his nose; he didn't hesitate when the other decaying hand reached to touch his gaunt cheek; he didn't flinch when a cold feeling began to fill him. He was far too used to this for it to have the effect it had once had on him.

He did yank away from the hand when an intense pulling sensation tugged at his soul.

"Get the hound." He snarled out at the thing.

The decaying hands pulled back, and the robed demon floated down the hallway, not even seeming to acknowledge his orders.

He turned back to the woman.

She smiled at him, "While we wait, why don't we get some food. I'm sure you're hungry."

The man's eyes flashed hungrily at her when she mentioned food. Despite an apparent attempt to seem calm and collected, he nodded his head. A hand rose to his stomach, and he let out a whimper when his apparent starvation was brought back to his attention. Then he growled at himself.

He was supposed to be on top of society. Someone who was beautiful and powerful. Not some snivelling prisoner in this hell hole. This was where 'he' was supposed to send people.

The woman's warm smile turned cold and shark-like. She waved one hand in front of her, and a platter filled with small sandwiches appeared in the other.

The man practically collapsed over the platter when she set it down near him. He started to shovel food into his mouth, whimpering at the taste that filled it.

The woman turned to face the open window, "We are also almost done training this one. When we're done with it, should we train another, or should we start mixing and matching?"

"I don't care," The man replied after swallowing his mouthful. He may be starving, but years of training were etched into him, and he still had manners, "But I want to get out of here. The sooner we're done with this one, the sooner I can get out of here."

"Now now, that's not very nice. This place has treated you far better than others."

The man glared up at her, setting what was in his hands back onto the platter, "This place is hell."

"You no not what the hell is." The woman purred like she was talking to an adored animal.

"And you do? You live a pampered life in a mansion where your children serve you unconditionally."

The woman's face went from calm to furious in seconds.

"I will not take such disrespect from a worm like you." She roared, her eyes flaring bloody red. The shadows along the walls began to writhe.

"I am the queen of the darkest part of this world. If I so wished, I could have given you to my children. They would love a chew toy. But I decided to help you with your revenge. Be grateful for what I give you."

The man jolted back, his whole body flinching. His silver gaze fell to the floor, and he scrambled from the platter to her feet to grovel.

"Forgive me, mistress. I did not mean what I said. My insolence should be paid for with punishment."

He all but spat those words to the cobbled floor, and I could feel his distaste from where I was watching.

The woman, however, was consoled. She reached one of her hands out to drag them through the man's long hair. The shadows calmed, and the red faded from her eyes.

"Soon my pet. Soon you will be out of here. Soon you will be the king of the society that cast you aside. They will rue the day that they tried to kill you. Your former master's mark will burn forever in the hearts of those who betrayed him. Soon."

She stroked his long locks, and the man did not move. I could feel shame burning from him being in such an undignified position, but he dared not move should it anger the woman again.

There was a scuffling sound in the hallway, and the screams of all the other prisoners faded to a dull echo. Both of them looked over at the bars that lead out of the cell.

I followed their gazes. The robed ghost was back. A long leather leash in its rotten hands. The rope lead all the way to down the shadowed hallways. I couldn't see much of it, but I could see dull white eyes gazing listlessly ahead.

The woman let the man get to his feet before walking over and taking the leash from the demon, her hand and arm fizzling into dark shadows as she reached straight through the bars of the cell as if they weren't even there.

There was a hollowed moaning, and the man scrambled back into one of the corners as if he was trying to escape it. The woman, however, looked puzzled, and she trailed over eyes over the entire cell until they landed on me.

Her subtle frown turned into a sharp smile.

"Hello, little hero. Its been a while since we conversed, and I would love to let you see this beast, but I'm afraid you've stayed your visit too long. Why don't I show you something else?"

She stalked towards me, dropping the leather into the confused man's hands. She reached her hand out towards my face, and I tried to lean back away. I didn't want her to touch me.

The last thing I heard before darkness encompassed me what the maniacal laughter of the woman.

I was suddenly pulled from the dark and thrown into another person body. I could hear thoughts rush through the person's head as they moved and it took me a while to get my bearings.

My surroundings had changed drastically. The cold cell had faded into a small and stuffy kitchen.

Pots and pans were cleaning themselves in the sink. A duster flew past my head and started to dust the shelf of books that rested in the corner. The counters were filled with papers and quills. An owl hooted from another room.

I could only see what the woman could, so I wasn't able to study the rest of the surroundings and instead focused on the plate she was preparing.

There were some eggs, bacon, and sausage on the plate.

There was shuffling behind us, and the woman turned around with the plate in hand. She set it down on the table as a man placed a paper, the Dailey Prophet if I could read it right, onto the table. He had a grim look on his freckled face. His short cut red hair was a mess, and the clothes he wore suggested he had just stumbled out of bed.

"The papers still writing about how the Ministry is still a mess. I understand that they would be concerned, but it's all fine. Under the new Minister, we are actually flourishing. Things are already getting back to order, but for some reason, the papers don't want to believe it." He mumbled as he took a drink from the cup already on the table.

"I'm sure they will all figure it out. I'm just surprised they let you keep your job. Grateful, but surprised." The woman started, "I sent an owl to Ron and Ginny this morning, asking how the school year was so far."

The man looked up at her with a sour face, "You sent Erol didn't you?"

"Erol is a good owl. He hasn't failed us yet."

"Molly, dear, are you sure that Erol can deliver the letter. He's old, and he barely made it back here to us when we sent a letter to Charles."

"Yes, Arthur. I'm sure. Erol may be old, but he will get it done."

Arthur took a bite from the eggs, "Yes, but dear, h-"

Whatever the man was going to say was cut off as the lights flickered. There was a hoarse cry from outside.

The two Weasly's looked over at the back door; concerned thoughts fluttered through the woman's head. She bustled over to the door, closely followed by Arthur.

We opened the door and walked outside.

It was still dark, and I honestly wondered what these two were doing awake so early. The stars and moon were covered by clouds. There was an uncertain chill in the air.

"What could that have possibly been?" The man asked as he turned to look at her.

She shrugged, her eyes fixing on the sky, "Something doesn't feel right. Don't you think."

The man turned his gaze to the sky as well. He pursed his lips and drew the orange fuzzy robe closer to his body.

"It just looks like its gonna rain. Nothing too abnormal."

The two of them gazed at the sky for a few moments. I knew something terrible was going to happen because Nyx wouldn't just send me here for no reason.

As the woman turned to head back inside, a long hollowed groan filled the air.

I felt a shiver go down Molly's spine and panic fill her head.

A creature walked out of the dark mist that covered the hillside. Its face illuminated by the house lights.

It looked like a dog, but its legs and snout didn't have any fur. The skin in that area a sickly grey colour with patched of a rusted brown. The hair that it did have was long and tangled. Leaves and sticks were sticking out of it. One of its ears was shredded, leaving a small bloody stump behind. Its eyes were pitch black, and they stared blankly ahead, looking at nothing, but everything.

It limped closer to the house, its long snout opening to reveal at least three rows long needle-like teeth and a long scaly tongue. Its teeth were stained with patches of red and what I knew was skin stuck between them.

The moan filled the air again, apparently originating from this creature.

They both drew their wands, and a growing sense of dread began to fill me.

Molly was just about to suggest ignoring that thing and going back inside when two robed creatures flew from the mist. I felt the woman's heart stutter.

The two robed things flew straight for the couple. Both raised their wands and words left their mouths.

It was a spell I recognised. It was something that Hecate talked about in depth. Expecto Patronum was a spell that chased dark thoughts away. It was mostly used against Dementors as they were creatures of negative and dark thoughts. But it could also be used to chase Ghouls(who hated the warm light) and Hinkypunks(who were made of mist and would be wounded by any lights), It created what was called a Patronus, but was more commonly known to regular humans as a spirit animal.

A small creature, I think it was called a Cockatrice, and a large, lanky bob-cat appeared from the wands of the couple. The two Dementors drew back from the Patronus's with twin hisses of pain.

The hollowed groan filled the air once more, and the two spells sputtered and then died out. Shock filled the woman's body and panic filled mine.

"Arthur," She whispered in blatant fear, "That thing, it can't be a Grimm, can it."

Her husband let out a shaky breath, backing away and raising his wand. He cast Expect Patronum once more before answering his wife, "Sirius was a Grimm, wasn't he? And he looked nothing like that. So it can't be."

He sounded so confident, but I could feel doubt in the woman.

Molly raised her wand as well and tried to cast the spell again as the Cockatrice was not enough to scare the two demons away. But her wand was knocked to the side. One of the Dementors rushed at her.

The woman was shoved back against the wall of the house, her eyes shooting open wide in pain as her heart hammered in her chest. The brick wall scratched sharply against her bare arms and ankles as she was dragged to a point where her feet no longer touched the ground.

There was a pulling sensation as the dementor leaned closer to her and I screamed at it to go away, even though I knew it was futile.

"MOLLY!" I heart Arthur scream from where he was trying to defend against the other dementor. The Grimm had stopped walking and moaning and was watching everything with its empty yet full eyes.

The woman grasped at the slimy cold hand that had closed around her throat. Her thoughts began to rampage across both of our minds.

'I did not survive a war, lose one of my children and a few friends just to die pathetically by a dementor.'

Then her thoughts shifted to the dog, the Grimm. That's what it had to be. Nothing else could make that groaning noise. Nothing else could look so dead and weak yet so healthy and robust.

Fear danced around and flashed through her eyes as she struggled to call her wand.

'I can't die. Not yet. Four of my children may be grown up, but I still have to take care of Ron and Ginny. And what about supporting Geroge and his business. Visiting Charles, and Percy. What would poor Harry do? She was the last family he had left. And Hermione. That girl was going to marry her son, she could tell. I-I can't miss that. And what about Arthur. He couldn't take care of the house without her. It would be a mess. Nothing would ever be cleaned!'

Tears of desperation began to fall down her plump cheeks.

I tried to block the sad thoughts. The begging. I couldn't handle it. It was one thing to watch someone die, and another to feel what they felt.

I could see Mr Weasly out of the corner of my eye, struggling to hold back the other dementor as his Patronus evaporated into mist again.

A cold feeling began to fill the woman's body and her attempts at getting free were growing weaker. Her limbs were getting stiff and heavy.

I can't let this happen.

I can't let her die.

It's my fault if she dies.

I strained as hard as I could to try anything. There had to be a way to break through this window. There had to be a way I could help.

There was a flash of blinding white light around the woman and me. The Grimm howled in hollow pain. The other dementor evaporated, but the one clutching at Molly's throat suddenly had a barrier of shadows around it. It was shielding this creature.

The dementors featureless face got close. The woman's body was entirely still, and her last feeble thoughts bleed into my head.

'I love you all.'

The last thing I hear as darkness once again overtook both the woman and I was, 'I am sorry Perseus.'

I jolted up in my bed. The room around me was utterly dark, and panic began to overtake me.

My heart shuddered in my chest as tears forced their way from my eyes. A sheen of sweat covered my body, and I brought my shaking hands closer to my chest as my body began to shudder. Sobs croaked from my mouth despite how hard I tried to keep them in. My stomach turned with nausea.

I closed my eyes as more tears fell. I tried to call on the ability to think clearly. I managed to start counting numbers out loud and evened my breathing out.

I was safe, or at least as safe as I could be in this place.

I took a couple of deep breaths and steadied my hands.

I quickly rose from my bed, hoping to shake the cold feeling that I had experienced from the dream.

I shrugged one of my robed onto my body even though I was still covered in sweat and had pyjamas on underneath.  
I barely registered where I was going until I was outside of the Headmistresses office.

The door was closed tightly, but I could feel Minerva on the other side of the door quietly murmuring something.

I knocked softly and pulled myself from the trance I had put myself into. I was still shaking, but I wasn't panicking as much.

There was a hum, and I entered the office.

Minerva was obviously surprised to see me awake this early, but she set down the quill and parchment she had been using and turned to face me.

"You look worried. What is it Perseus?"

I opened my mouth and began to tell her what had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Not Sorry
> 
> I will not be updating for the next couple of weeks up to a month. Some family issues have been happening, so I have to leave. Im sorry.


End file.
